The neighbors found Paul Andrade, his daughter, and a dog inside the van in the 7300 block of NW 37th Street in Davie about 7 a.m.

Leila Lacharite said she was walking with her small daughter when she heard a little girl crying from near the van.

"I'll never forget the cry of her,” said Lacharite. "I saw a little girl on the floor. And all I was hoping is that I wasn't too late."

Lacharite said that’s when she tried to administer CPR on the child.

"I tried to save the little girl,” said Lacharite. “I did everything I could do... it was just too late."

"We heard a commotion outside. We thought it was more like arguing," said one neighbor. "I came out and looked and saw the gentleman slumped over in the back seat of the van. It was wide open. You could see him just lying there."

A neighbor said he often saw the girl and her father in the neighborhood.

The girl was a first grader at Driftwood Elementary in Hollywood. The school sent a letter home to parents letting them know a classmate had passed away and counselors are available.

"I see her around the neighborhood all the time. She would be out here with him riding her bicycle. They are nice people. We don't get much like this here," said the neighbor.

Police believe Andrade was upset over the end of his relationship with the girl's mother, who had recently remarried. He had regular visitation with his daughter, said police.

"The man was distraught. His ex-wife had recently remarried in the last month or so, and felt that this was his way of getting back at her," said Engle.

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